Multi-band color vision filters and method by LP-optimization

Abstract

The invention generally relates to optical filters that provide regulation and/or enhancement of chromatic and luminous aspects of the color appearance of light to human vision, generally to applications of such optical filters, to therapeutic applications of such optical filters, to industrial and safety applications of such optical filters when incorporated, for example, in radiation-protective eyewear, to methods of designing such optical filters, to methods of manufacturing such optical filters, and to designs and methods of incorporating such optical filters into apparatus including, for example, eyewear and illuminants.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An optical filter having a spectral transmittance curve, the spectral transmittance curve comprising:
 three or more pass-bands interleaved with two or more stop-bands, wherein 
 each pass-band has a center, a width, a lower band boundary equal to the center minus half the width, an upper band boundary equal to the center plus half the width, and a mean transmittance, 
 each stop-band has a center, a width, a lower band boundary equal to the center minus half the width, an upper band boundary equal to the center plus half the width, and a mean transmittance, 
 the lower band boundary of each interleaved stop-band is the same as the upper band boundary of an adjacent pass-band, 
 the upper band boundary of each interleaved stop-band is the same as the lower band boundary of an adjacent pass-band, 
 each pass-band center is located between about 400 nanometers and about 700 nanometers and each pass-band width is between about 10 nanometers and about 110 nanometers, 
 each stop-band center is located between about 410 nanometers and about 690 nanometers and each stop-band width is between about 10 nanometers and about 80 nanometers, and 
 each of the interleaved stop-bands has a mean transmittance that is less than one half of the mean transmittance of an adjacent pass-band, and 
 a step feature on a side of one of the pass-bands, the step feature located between 580 nanometers and 610 nanometers, the step feature located within a stop band, a spectral transmittance of the step feature is at least one fifth of a luminous transmittance of the optical filter, where the luminous transmittance is an average spectral transmittance of light through the optical filter weighted by the CIE 1924 photopic luminosity function. 
 
     
     
       2. The optical filter of  claim 1 , wherein the spectral transmittance curve comprises:
 a first pass-band having a center located between about 440 nanometers and about 455 nanometers and a width of between about 20 and about 40 nanometers, 
 a second pass-band having a center located between about 525 nanometers and about 545 nanometers and a width of between about 20 and about 50 nanometers, and 
 a third pass-band having a center located between about 610 nanometers and about 640 nanometers and a width of between about 30 and about 80 nanometers. 
 
     
     
       3. The optical filter of  claim 2 , wherein each of the interleaved stop-bands has a width of at least about 40 nanometers and a mean transmittance that is less than about one fourth of the mean transmittance of an adjacent pass-band. 
     
     
       4. The optical filter of  claim 3 , wherein a minimum spectral transmittance of the filter between about 475 nanometers and about 580 nanometers is at most about one fifth of the luminous transmittance of the filter. 
     
     
       5. The optical filter of  claim 2 , wherein the first pass-band center is located at less than or equal to about 450 nanometers. 
     
     
       6. The optical filter of  claim 2 , wherein the first pass-band center is located at less than or equal to about 445 nanometers. 
     
     
       7. The optical filter of  claim 2 , wherein the third pass-band center is located at greater than or equal to about 625 nanometers. 
     
     
       8. The optical filter of  claim 2 , wherein the third pass-band center is located at greater than or equal to about 635 nanometers. 
     
     
       9. The optical filter of  claim 2 , wherein the second pass-band width is at most about 40 nanometers. 
     
     
       10. The optical filter of  claim 2 , wherein the second pass-band width is at most about 35 nanometers. 
     
     
       11. The optical filter of  claim 2 , wherein the second pass-band width is at most about 30 nanometers. 
     
     
       12. The optical filter of  claim 2 , wherein the second pass-band center is located between about 535 nanometers and about 540 nanometers. 
     
     
       13. The optical filter of  claim 2 , wherein the second pass-band center is located at about 535 nanometers. 
     
     
       14. The optical filter of  claim 2 , wherein the minimum spectral transmittance of the filter between about 475 nanometers and about 580 nanometers is less than about one fifth of the luminous transmittance. 
     
     
       15. The optical filter of  claim 2 , wherein the minimum spectral transmittance of the filter between about 475 nanometers and about 580 nanometers is less than about one tenth of the luminous transmittance. 
     
     
       16. The optical filter of  claim 2 , wherein each of the interleaved stop-bands has a mean transmittance that is less than about one eighth of the mean transmittance of an adjacent pass-band. 
     
     
       17. The optical filter of  claim 2 , wherein each of the interleaved stop-bands has a mean transmittance that is less than about one tenth of the mean transmittance of an adjacent pass-band. 
     
     
       18. The optical filter of  claim 2 , wherein each of the interleaved stop-bands has a mean transmittance that is greater than about one sixteenth of the mean transmittance of an adjacent pass-band. 
     
     
       19. The optical filter of  claim 1 , wherein the spectral transmittance curve comprises:
 a first pass-band has a center located at about 445 nanometers and a width of about 25 nanometers, 
 a second pass-band has a center located at about 530 nanometers and a width of about 45 nanometers, and 
 a third pass-band has a center located at about 635 nanometers and a width of about 50 nanometers. 
 
     
     
       20. The optical filter of  claim 1 , wherein the spectral transmittance curve comprises:
 a first pass-band has a center located at about 440 nanometers and a width of about 25 nanometers, 
 a second pass-band has a center located at about 530 nanometers and a width of about 45 nanometers, 
 a third pass-band has a center located at about 640 nanometers and a width of about 50 nanometers.